Welcome to B2B Weekend Vibes – a weekly roundup of current goings-on From the Bay to the Beach. Here you’ll find a few of my favorite things, a bit of home decor inspiration, and a peek into my week. Yay – it’s…Saturday! You’re receiving this email later than normal because I’ve been having technical difficulties with my email service this week. But, onward and upward!
In this post – high tide dinner at The Marine Room, girlfriends’ weekend fun, and the latest office/guest room updates.
Hello there! Well it’s been a minute since I posted a B2B Weekend Vibes update. We’ve been having a bit of fun around here that I’m looking forward to sharing with you.
The Marine Room – La Jolla, CA
Do you love dining by the ocean? If so, then you’ll want to put this restaurant on your bucket list! The Marine Room is an upscale restaurant on the sands of La Jolla Shores beach. I have been to The Marine Room a couple of times for dinner, but never for one of their summer high tide dinners. Basically, during certain high tides, the waves hit the windows of the restaurant. It’s so cool! (Don’t worry, the windows are thick enough to withstand the waves.)
The high tide dinners are popular and are often sold out. I was lucky to snag a reservation for one of the “rising tide” times. This typically means that you will be dining as the tide is rising and may not see the waves hit the windows. But our server was nice and let us hang out at our table after dinner to watch the water, so we were there for high tide. The waves were not as spectacular as the ones shown below, but they were still fun to watch.
The interior of the restaurant is really beautiful. You enter on the top floor and then descend down a staircase to the dining rooms. This is the view when you walk in. You can see how close the restaurant is to the water.
The Menu
The menu for the high tide dinners is Prix Fixe, so you have limited choices, but all of their food is outstanding.
I had the Peruvian Crudo to start, followed by the Spotted Sea Bass. My husband had the Caesar Salad and Filet Mignon. We both liked our food, but my husband wished he had ordered the Crudo once he saw mine.
We ordered different desserts so we could sample both. I can’t remember what they were but we liked one more than the other. My favorite dessert after a nice meal is actually an espresso martini! This one didn’t disappoint.
If you find yourself in the La Jolla area, be sure to check out this restaurant. You won’t be disappointed!
Girlfriends’ Weekend
One of the best things about having a home near the beach is sharing it with our friends and family. I was so excited to host my college girlfriends for a weekend. There was lots of story-telling, laughing and reminiscing.
The first night we had dinner on the beach at Poseidon in Del Mar, another favorite spot. The sunset views are amazing and the food is always great.
The next day we shopped and had lunch in Encinitas. I made sure that we popped into a couple of my favorite local shops, Coco Rose Bali and Coast Highway Trading. That night we made dinner at home (shrimp scampi!) and had a fun evening relaxing in our comfy clothes. Perfect way to end the day.
I’m so thankful for my friends. Life is good. (There may have been some matching “Girls’ Weekend” t-shirts. I couldn’t help myself.)
Guest room/Office Update
Rug Choices and Regrets
I’m going to start this section by saying sometimes you have to admit when you’ve made the wrong choice. In this case I’m talking about the rugs I chose for our office/guest room. I initially ordered a rug that turned out to be too small for the room. I’m normally pretty good about choosing rug sizes but I chickened out this time and ordered one too small. Then, instead of admitting defeat, I doubled down and ordered another larger sisal rug, thinking I would layer them. Have you ever made a second wrong decision because you were trying to fix the first one? We could be friends.
While the overall look wasn’t terrible, the smaller gray rug (Chunky Wool Jute Rug from Pottery Barn) was still clashing with the custom sofa bed that we ordered (more about that here.)
Since the expensive sofa isn’t going anywhere, I decided to replace the two rugs with one larger one from All Modern. I’m much happier with the result. And the best part is that the more expensive gray rug has found a home in our basement laundry room. Whew. The sisal rug (Parkerfield Handmade Flatweave Jute) will most likely be sold or donated. I’m not sure what the moral of this story is, other than to say sometimes you have to admit you chose poorly.
Desk Suite
On a more positive note, we really love our new office desk suite. My husband commented that it might be the first “grown up” desk set that we’ve ever owned. The wood tone is nice and light which gives it a coastal feel. It also fits perfectly in the space.
We had to wait a LONG time for it to arrive – 5 months! This is common for custom furniture, but since this was from Pottery Barn, I’m not sure what the hold-up was. The other weird thing is that they discontinued this particular set soon after we ordered it. I guess I should just be glad we were able to get it at all!
We wanted to have a spot to work in the main living area that is attractive because you can see it from the main living area. We have another “cloffice” (closet-office) off the main hallway that I will share in the future. This houses the less-attractive-but-necessary printer and other supplies.
Accessories
Since the furniture took so long to arrive, I had plenty of time to collect artwork and lighting. I found these pretty bookend lamps at Target! They’re part of the Hearth and Hand Collection with Magnolia.
These Target lamps are a quarter of the price of similar ones from Ballard Designs, and I like their style more. They’re made from heavy marble and plug in. Love!
The artwork above the desk is from HomeGoods. I actually found it in the clearance section! It must have been fate because I remembered seeing it on an earlier visit to the store and liking it, but at the time I wasn’t sure where I would put it, so I passed it up. I guess it waited for me! The colors are perfect for the room and the oysters add a touch of coastal charm.
The picture light above is from Wayfair. It’s rechargeable and works great. You simply unhook it from the bracket mounted to the wall and plug it in. It has a remote and a timer function so you can program it to turn on and off at certain times. It was simple to hang too. If you’ve been wanting a picture light that doesn’t require hard-wiring I highly recommend it!
We also purchased some antique ceramic vases while we were in the Bay Area and they are a fun add to the shelves. Stacked books and shells fill in the other spots. These pretty shagreen-looking boxes were another HomeGoods find.
Our very latest addition to the room is this beautiful mirror with an iridescent seashell frame. We had been looking for a large mirror for this wall that would reflect the ocean view. I’m glad we waited until we found this one!
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That’s it for this week! Thanks for following along with my dining and decorating adventures. Subscribe below to automatically receive new posts in your inbox. Have a great week!
